This Week In DVD: Gran Torino, The International, Fired Up, And More
By Adam Quigley/June 9, 2009 7:00 am EST
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REAPER (SEASON 2)
If you haven’t yet checked out the first season of Reaper, I highly recommend doing so. It’s a bit repetitive at first, but once the story kicks into gear, it becomes one of the few shows out there that’s managed to strike that perfect balance of action, comedy, and drama. But having only made it halfway through the show’s second (and final) season before eventually forgetting to keep track of new episodes, I can’t say I was quite as taken in this time around. That’s not to say that the show isn’t still good though. Despite a couple of lame subplots that I’m not all that eager to return to, I’m actually fairly eager to complete my viewing of the series. And for those that have already, please answer me this: does the finale satisfy?
Blu-ray? No.Notable Extras: Commentaries with the show cast, deleted scenes, and a gag reel.
THE INTERNATIONALTom Tykwer (Run Lola Run, Perfume) is a fantastic director, but even his slick, energetic style isn’t enough to save The International from the aggressively dull, silly, trite and poorly plotted story at its core. The film’s sole redeeming quality is an incredible shoot-out in the Guggenheim, so if you’re really desperate to check out that one sequence, it may be worth a Netflix rental. Or alternatively, I can save you the trouble.Blu-ray? Yes.Notable Extras: Commentary with director Tom Tykwer and writer Eric Singer, 4 featurettes (“The Making of The International”, “Shooting at the Guggenheim”, “The Autostadt”, “The Architecture of The International”), and deleted scenes.
FIRED UP
I have to say, I’m rather surprised by how positive the reviews are for this film. Out of a total of 80 reviews, 22 of them were positive. That’s a whopping 22 more than I expected! Impressive!
Blu-ray? Yes.Notable Extras: Commentary with director Will Gluck and stars Nick D’Agosto and Eric Christian Olsen, 2 featurettes (“The is Not a Cheerleading Movie: The Making-of Fired Up!”, “Double Duty”), an uncensored gag reel, and a Backstage at the Fired Up! press junket feature.
CROSSING OVER
Even since Running Scared and The Cooler, Wayne Kramer has been high on my list of “must watch” up-and-coming directors. Both of those films were (and continue to be) seriously underrated, and showed signs of a man sure to go on to do great things. Crossing Over, sadly, is not one of them. At least not according to the devastatingly negative reviews. Seriously, did we need another depressing multi-character/interconnecting storyline piece ala Crash and Babel? No, we really didn’t. Better luck next time, Kramer. I haven’t lost hope.
Blu-ray? No.Notable Extras: None.
Other noteworthy DVDs available this week…The Shield (Season 7) – Were the World Mine – Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace & Music Director’s Cut (40th Anniversary Ultimate Collector’s Edition)NOTE: Some deals may be in-store only.Exclusive: Woodstock Ultimate Collector’s Edition DVD set with exclusive never-before-seen performances by Jimi Hendrix, The Who and Canned Heat ($42.99).$13.99 – It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (Season 1 – 3), Weeds (Season 1 – 3), Psych (Season 1 or 2), Seinfeld (Season 1 – 9), The Simpsons (Season 10)$18.99 – Entourage (Season 1 – 4), Dexter (Season 1 or 2), Mad Men (Season 1), 30 Rock (Season 2), The Tudors (Season 1 or 2)$12.99 – The Simpsons (Season 11), How I Met Your Mother (Season 3), Arrested Development (Season 2), Prison Break (Season 3), Burn Notice (Season 1), My Name is Earl (Season 3), Family Guy (Vol. 6), It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (Season 3)
